


The Price of War

by Akaiba



Series: Duty and Price [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Begging, Bondage, Dom/sub, Dubious Consent, Face-Fucking, Felching, Humiliation, M/M, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Rimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-24
Packaged: 2018-03-13 04:08:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3367223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akaiba/pseuds/Akaiba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the Kinkmeme:<br/>So the Inquisition needs more soldiers, and the only person who has any is King Sebastian Vael of Starkhaven, who has recently conquered Kirkwall.<br/>He'll give the Inquisition his soldiers, for a price: He wants one night with the former Knight-Captain Cullen.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta'd, any mistakes are mine so apologies.

“You're not surprised.” Is Leliana's comment on the matter after Cullen puts the letter down on his desk without remark. She had brought it to him immediately, she said. No one had read it's contents but her.

“No.”

Leliana's head inclines slowly. “I had thought to ask if you were involved but your discomfort with this is answer enough.”

“He had... vows. I wasn't... I'm not.” He shifts uncomfortably in his chair. “I don't...”

Leliana would probe him for an answer but it could be anything; Cullen didn't like men, Cullen didn't like King Sebastian, Cullen didn't want a one night stand, Cullen didn't want to be used. None of it mattered. It is clear from looking at Cullen that whatever his reasons, he doesn't want this. “I will send our response.”

“Wait.” Leliana pauses, half way to the door. “H-he's... he's offering us... a lot of men.” Cullen swallows.

Leliana frowns. “His price is-”

“I know.”

“I won't allow it.”

Cullen stands and braces his hands on the desk. “It is neither yours to allow or disallow.”

“The Inquisitor-”

“Does not need to know.” Cullen takes a slow, steadying breath. “We've done worse at this point than... one night with a king.” His head hangs and he shakes it slowly. He's being ridiculous, the price is nothing for what it will gain them. The Inquisition needs this, Cullen will not fail. He looks up and fixes Leliana with a stern look. “Tell no one. I... I will handle the arrangements. I can sort out what is to be done during my… absence.”

Leliana moves towards him. “I will go with-”

Cullen shakes his head. “It is best no one suspects or... or that... Sebastian retracts his offer.”

The bard looks conflicted but is frowning hard at Cullen, like her terrifying will can sway him or present another option. She is no fool, however, and they need those men. Spymaster or not, Cullen knows she would not allow him this if she saw another way. That she does not present an alternative tells Cullen all he needs to know- he has to do this.

“Be safe. Please.” She says. Cullen wonders what it is he can see her shoving down; guilt, regret, disgust... grief? He gives her a weak smile.

“I'm always fine.”

“They are not the same thing.”

Cullen has nothing to say in return to that.

\---

He supposes he shouldn't be surprised when Leliana hands him a legal document as he's saddling a horse one week later.

The letters have been sent and while Sebastian may have recently conquered Kirkwall, Cullen will not set foot there. The nightmares dog him enough without refreshing his memories of the broken city he remembers bathed in blood and fire. Sebastian had courteously agreed to Cullen’s request as he had matters to attend to back in Starkhaven as well. It suited both of them and Cullen tried not to let the cold negotiation of it all shake his nerve.

"Take someone." She says as his gaze flicks over the paperwork. He spies the words 'will not be harmed bodily' and feels sick as he pushes it to the bottom of a saddle bag. "Anyone. Please." It is twice now that Leliana has pleaded with him and Cullen almost relents.

“I am taking soldiers.” Cullen says, what few they can spare. The Inquisition is spread so thin and they both know it. 

“Then one of the Inquisitor’s companions.”

“They must remain here, in case the Inquisitor has need of them.” He finishes securing the last of his supplies and turns to her with a strained smile. “I assure you, Leliana, I will be alright.” He isn’t thinking about it, doesn’t think beyond the goal of reaching Starkhaven. 

She is frowning at him still and he awkwardly pats her shoulder, staggering back in surprise as she embraces him suddenly. They exchange no more words and she leaves, spinning on her heel. Another secret to the vault she carries with her. Cullen would feel guilty for adding to her burden if he wasn’t well aware it was her who brought the missive to him, knowing his sense of duty, knowing what his response would be. He does not blame her… but he does not sympathise with the guilt. 

\---

The journey to Starkhaven does not takes as long as he might have liked. 

The ship over the Waking Sea is not waylaid overly by storms. They avoid Kirkwall entirely, Cullen not even brave enough to dock in the port without fear of the memories it might bring. He stays below deck at the idea he might even catch sight of the city. Their trek through the Vimmark Mountains is not slowed either and Cullen’s men are in high spirits, all things considered, so he makes every effort not to take out his anxiousness on them. 

He would hazard they will arrive at Starkhaven a full day ahead of when he had estimated in his final letter to Sebastian. Cullen cannot ignore the way his hands shake when his mind drifts to thinking of what will happen when they arrive. A day’s ride away and he doesn’t sleep at all. 

Their early arrival does not seem to be unwelcome, a procession of nobles and soldiers ready to meet them and escort them to Starkhaven’s castle. Sebastian is not with them, then again, Cullen is not nobility or royalty. That he has demanded Cullen’s company for a night does not broker adoration, the whim of it making Cullen flush that he had thought… Cullen shakes his head of whatever romanticised notions he was clinging to. This was a deal. A negotiation of… resources. There was no ulterior motive here beyond Sebastian’s whimsical desire to have him for a night.

An advisor approaches Cullen when he and his men, having dismounted and entered the castle finally, stand to attention in the foyer. The opulence does nothing for Cullen, he is unmoved by wealth even if all the propriety makes his skin itch in discomfort. “His highness has granted you and your men quarters for the week.” The advisor, gestures for his men to be escorted away and Cullen fights the apprehension he hadn’t anticipated at being left alone. “I shall escort you to your quarters this evening, however his highness has requested you visit his office upon your arrival.” Cullen does not think this man’s nose knows an elevation that is not permanently looking down on others. He wishes Varric were here to make comment, instead inclining his head and following after the man. 

His anticipation picks up with each step, palms sweating in his gloves and the bag at his side feels heavy with obligation. The contract Leliana had drawn up for him seals this deal and Cullen feels sick at the weight of it around his neck. He has not seen Sebastian since Kirkwall’s chantry was destroyed. He had seen in the courtyard, watched as that soft smirking face of prince unsure of his title changed. The rage had bore a king in the ashes of the Chantry burning to the ground and Cullen was unsure where that rage-filled King and that soft spoken Prince balanced now. It was the prince who had coveted Cullen, something Cullen had presumed a passing fancy and now gone. He has, apparently, been mistaken. 

They halt at an intricately decorated door and the advisor opens the door, Cullen’s breath halting with his feet and it is difficult to get moving again as the advisor hurries him into the room beyond but does not follow.

Now, he is alone.

“Hello, knight-captain.”

Or not.

Cullen turns in the direction of the voice and forces his hands still as he sees Sebastian. The King is reclining against a window, facing Cullen rather than peering out, dressed in loose fitting clothes and utterly at ease. For all his armour, it is Cullen who feels vulnerably exposed under the King’s gaze. It cuts through him, coveting and hungry even in its stillness. There is a ruthlessness there now that Cullen does not think was before. 

“Rather, it is Commander now, is it not? Commander of the Inquisition.” Sebastian rolls the title around his mouth, curling his accent around the syllables and Cullen does not know what to do or say. Should he go straight to business? These pleasantries chafe no matter the circumstance and these are certainly uncomfortable circumstances as it is. 

“U-uh, yes. T-that is my title now.” He remarks falteringly. The hand on the bag at his side flexes uncertainly, swallowing as Sebastian stands straight fluidly and chuckles at Cullen’s fumbling.

“Would you like a drink, Commander? You seem to be ill at ease.” Sebastian is already pouring them both a drink and Cullen does not think he can refuse. He steps a little further into the room, shuffling and clutching the contract from his bag like a shield. 

“Y-yes, that would be… uh, well, I h-have… there’s some… matters. To attend to.” When Sebastian turns and steps closer they are too close.

There is scarce room to breath between them and Cullen stops breathing entirely for a beat. Sebastian sets down Cullen’s glass on the table Cullen had stepped towards, fingers so sure as they they grasp the contract in Cullen’s trembling hands. 

“Straight to business as always, Commander.” Sebastian inclines his head, the heat of his fingers over Cullen’s gloved hand as he takes the papers lingering as Cullen reaches for his glass the moment he has been released. 

He steps around the table away from Sebastian under the pretence of examining the room they are in while Sebastian turns the pages. It isn’t until Cullen sees past a folded room divider to the most decadent bed he has seen since the Winter Palace that he realises he is standing in a bedroom. Most likely, Sebastian’s bedroom. His glass is empty and he clutches the glass, throat dry as he stares through the gap of the room divider at the bed, face flushed and starting to tremble again. Is he really doing this? Is he going to do this? Selling himself to someone he knows, to a King, for soldiers? For an army? At what point do his morals override his duties? Do they ever? He is a soldier, a tool, a blunt instrument. He does what is necessary for the results he needs. He is brutal and ruthless and spiteful on the battlefield; this is no different. A different sort of battlefield; but the rules are the same. For the outcome he needs, he plays the game.

“It has been on your mind, hasn’t it?” Cullen jumps, Sebastian’s breath brushing past his ear as the King stands at his back and Cullen cannot cover the way his breath hitches as Sebastian chuckles again. “How tightly you are wound, I’d say you’ve thought of little else.” Sebastian steps back and Cullen turns slowly. 

The king has settled himself in an armchair now, one leg cocked over the arm in what should be an un-kingly manner but the arrogant assuredness of his stance leaves Cullen no doubts as to where the power lies in this room. Sebastian has a quill in his hand and the contract is open, hand poised as he considers Cullen.

“You know what happens when I sign.” Cullen nods. “You were always so aloof and distant in Kirkwall, but now…” Sebastian smiles, small and satisfied. “Strip.”

Cullen blinks, certain he misheard. “I-I’m sorry?”

“Strip.” Sebastian repeats, the faintest crease of a frown on his brow that lets Cullen know he would do well to be obedient this evening. “I wish to see what it is I am buying.” It should be degrading, humiliating even, and it is but Cullen can see heat in Sebastian’s gaze. It is the same lust that he had seen aimed at him from over Hawke’s shoulder what felt like so long ago. Guarded now, but Cullen is not a threat and they both know it. The mask slips just enough for Cullen to see under it for all the power game Sebastian is playing he knows that it is lustful desire that drives him. 

He wants Cullen.

He covets Cullen.

He will give them what they ask for if he can have Cullen.

Cullen looks at the quill hovering over the contract and he drops his bag to the floor.

He is dirty and tired from travelling but not dreadfully so, though he is sure a King will be used to finer things than stale sweat and sore muscles. Cullen thinks he should be making a show of this but he already feels like a cow up for auction, his assets being weighed by eye, and he removes his clothing with military efficiency. He lays his gloves and robe out on the table, his armour next with heavy clunks. He tells himself his hands aren’t shaking again as he takes what little protection he had been bolstered by and lays himself bare before the King. 

Cullen’s hands hesitate at the waistband of his smalls but something in Sebastian’s gaze makes him feel a trickle of power here. Sebastian has wanted him for so long and the anticipation on his face is the control Cullen has. 

He pushes his smalls down his thighs, letting them fall the rest of the way and taking a shaky breath as he stands there- in the King of Starkhaven and Kirkwall’s bedroom, naked as the day he was born, under the King’s critical gaze.

Sebastian eyes him; blatant and unhidden in his appraisal. His gaze lingers over Cullen’s cock and his hands twitch as he forces himself not to cover himself. Sebastian’s mouth curls in what could be amusement or approval, Cullen isn’t sure he’s all that desperate to know which, before he lazily waves one hand at Cullen. “Touch yourself.”

Cullen blanches, “W-what?!”

“Touch. Yourself.” Sebastian stresses each word, a challenge in his tone that Cullen isn’t sure he should push as he reminds himself what they stand to lose here if Cullen does not please Sebastian.

“I-I d-don’t… think that I-I… can?” He offers meekly.

“Try.” Is Sebastian’s uncaring response, almost bored as he watches Cullen agonise over the order.

Fear over having come this far and messing it up at this point moves Cullen’s hand, unsteady as it is, to grip his flaccid cock. Too tight, too much and he flushes, red overtaking the pale shock and now shame takes hold.

“Slower. Work yourself up first.” The bored tone is gone, Sebastian’s voice low and gentle in it’s direction. 

Cullen obediently lets go of his cock and instead trails one hand over his hip, across the scratch of his pubic hair, and up the dips of muscles over his belly. He attempts to ease the tension in him but the prickle of Sebastian’s gaze on him doesn’t let him relax. Instead, Cullen tries to make a show of this instead. He has been told his appearance is pleasing, knows that Sebastian must think so if he desires him so wholly, so Cullen touches his body where he thinks Sebastian might like to. His hands trace over his chest, his sides, nails dragging over his thighs. His cock stirs slowly, so timidly unsure even as lust bubbles in his belly.

The strangest part is that the sense of Sebastian’s gaze never lifts and instead, Cullen finds it fueling his desire. Cullen can’t say he has ever felt so wholly, rapturously desired in his entire life. This King would sell armies for a chance to lay with Cullen, like he was some great prize. Cullen dares to look over at Sebastian as his fingers move over his cock now, one hand tracing the now hard length as the other presses nails into his inner thigh. 

Sebastian is still, too still. He is forcing himself still. His gaze never leaves Cullen, though drifting between his face and his cock as Cullen hardens more and takes a firmer grip of himself. This time the grip is pleasing. Still not slick enough as he gathers precome on his palm and slides slowly into his own grip, hips moving just a little as his breathy gasps fill the silence of the room.

He sounds whorish to his own ears, and the reality that that is what he is here burns his face scarlet, shame fueling- not quelling- the lust in his belly and he bites his lip. Need is creeping up on him. It’s been so long since he even touched himself let alone indulged in another person’s company- the Inquisition demands all he can give, he will give no less than everything- that he lacks stamina or prowess in the moment. His hips buck hard into his hand and he bites down hard on a whimper but even the muffled sound is loud in the silent room. 

Cullen is going to come. 

Naked, in a King’s bedroom, watched in his shame. 

He wants to come like this, is the startling thought that has him leaking into his palm. Cullen’s mouth drops open and he’s shamefully close from so little, eyes fixed on Sebastian- wide with shock and want.

“Stop.”

The order doesn’t register and Cullen whines as his hand twists just so on the head of his cock.

“Cullen. Stop.” Sebastian says, firmer and louder.

Cullen stills, breath ragged and so close he’s wild with need, staring at Sebastian in shock. The King signs, a scratch of sound between them, and the contract is closed with a flourish of papers which Sebastian discards to the table as he stands. “Redress.”

“But-” Cullen’s breath starts to slow and he stares at Sebastian in disbelief. “Is that… is that all you wanted?”

“Not at all. You are mine for a night. That night will be tomorrow night.” Sebastian smiles, what should be warm instead predatory and promising all at once. “For now, you will redress and walk to your quarters to sleep.” Sebastian pauses at the room divider. “Oh and Commander? Do not touch yourself. You will not come until I say so, am I clear?”

Cullen’s eyes widen but he chokes out, “Y-yes, y-your majesty.”

“Good. Sleep well, Commander.” Sebastian slides the room divider across behind him and Cullen is left naked and hard in Sebastian’s parlour. He dresses frantically and all but flees outside where he hurries the advisor to show him his room where he hides for the rest of the evening.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of Cullen's night with the King of Starkhaven.

The temptation to ignore Sebastian's order was strong. How would the King even know? Cullen liked to think he could be discreet when the occasion called for it but this was... something else. He kept trying to think of it as simply another military manoeuvre but it wasn't and he knew he would give himself away. 

The contract stipulated Cullen was Sebastian's for one night, like a lover and not a slave had been emphasised, and Cullen thought he could get away with doing as he pleased if it came down to arguing technicalities. 

He very much didn't want to argue technicalities on his body, however, and he wanted this to go smoothly. 

Cullen very determinedly ignored the fact that obeying had very much nearly made him come anyway. He had nothing to do with that information so he shoved it aside, focusing on the task at hand instead. 

The next day did not go how Cullen expected at all. 

He had breakfast with his men and then he met Sebastian in a training courtyard to observe some of the soldiers Cullen intended to send to Skyhold. Cullen could not meet Sebastian's gaze, a flush creeping over his face whenever the man calmly ordered his men to alternate training formation. It called up the memory of Sebastian ordering him in a similarly calm, firm tone- how readily he had obeyed, how much just Sebastian's voice now made his cock stir. 

Not once did Sebastian make reference to the previous evening, all day in fact. It was unnerving. He could see it every time he dared to meet the King's gaze, the knowing and the hunger that only he could see. Cullen felt weak kneed as that burning pride of being wanted fed through him, unfamiliar in it's heady power that he might drive a King to such lengths, and yet he could not escape that the power Sebastian in turn had shown to command him with was new. It was... exciting. 

Would Sebastian really know if he had touched himself? Would it only be Cullen who gave himself away or would his body tell the king all he needed to know?

Cullen takes too long to answer, and when he does he trips over every word much to Sebastian's amusement. The knowing look does not lessen and Cullen wonders if Sebastian can read his mind as well, if he can see every deviant thought that won't leave his mind.

They part in the afternoon and Cullen leads his men in a few drills to take his mind off dinner that evening. The contract made it clear; from evening meal Cullen belonged to Sebastian, within reason, until dawn the next day. 

What had felt like a short amount of time now loomed over him and Cullen had no expectations. He did not know if Sebastian would desire him for an hour or the whole night, if he should turn up already... prepared, or if maybe Sebastian would prefer him not. He cleaned thoroughly and repeatedly, as if the water would wash away his fears and nerves, and decided that if Sebastian had left no instruction then there wasn't one. He would turn up, clean and rested now, and he would simply have to adapt to whatever the king threw at him.

The decision did little to settle his nerves and he was wearing a groove in the fine carpet of his richly appointed rooms by the time he was summoned for dinner.

Cullen had dressed in the nicest clothes he owned, but, considering he was the Commander of the Inquisition and currently selling himself for men, it was no great surprise that his nicest clothing made the advisor's face twist in disgust. 

Dinner was in the great hall, the longest table Cullen has ever seen decked in extravagant cloths and nothing like the simple but elegant affair of breakfast. The table was however only set for two and once their first course was served, they were alone. Not even guards at the doors, though Cullen presumed they were just outside. 

Sebastian was dressed casually, like Cullen, but even the material and embroidery alone made Culllen feel like the scruffy farm boy he was. He had no place among kings, his place was on a battlefield with sword in hand. 

"Forgive me, I did not think to ask what you might want for dinner." Sebastian speaks low, the press of so large an empty room should make him feel exposed but instead he feels hopelessly exposed. The King pours them both a glass of wine and Cullen wonders if that should be what he does. Guest or not, Cullen is not the king here. 

Cullen looks at his plate and finds he has no appetite. Anticipation and apprehension war in his gut, eyes always looking at Sebastian out of the corner. "Its... fine. I do not... I am not, uh... particular, with my food."

"Fereldans seldom are, I have found." Sebastian remarks with a chuckle and the comment is not cruel or sneering, simply an observation. Cullen remembers that Sebastian’s exposure to Fereldans had been those refugees who had made it to Kirkwall, scraping and begging for even the smallest scrap of food. "How have you enjoyed Starkhaven?"

Small talk is not Cullen's forte but he manages to stumble his way through the first and second course. He does not drink with any sort of regularity in Skyhold so after three glasses he is feeling warm and calmer. He goes to pour a fourth and Sebastian pulls away the glass. 

"No more for you, I think. I'd like you aware tonight." Sebastian remarks when the servants close the doors after presenting dessert.

Cullen's breath stutters and he swallows hard. The issue had been skirted so far and Cullen had relaxed, even if he could still feel the obligation hanging over him. "W-what does it matter? You get what you want either way."

"I'd rather appreciate you not passing out on me this evening." Sebastian shook his head with a laugh Cullen couldn't decide he should be offended by or not. "Would you like dessert?"

Even talking about it, remembering what had happened the night before, it made heat pool in Cullen's belly and he looked at the dish before him. "I... I'm not hungry." By the terms of the contract, once evening meal was over, Cullen was Sebastian's. 

"Nor am I." Cullen would have dared to say Sebastian sounded excited, but it was so tightly controlled that he couldn't be sure. "Come with me."

Cullen does not hesitate even if his hands shake as he takes Sebastian’s offered hand. His knees wobble, be it the wine or nerves, but he manages to make it to Sebastian's rooms without making a fool of himself. 

The door closes and Cullens back slams into it, two hands gipping his shirt as a mouth presses against his. Its passionate from the moment the lock clicks across, Sebastian's mouth hot against his and all Cullen can do is submit. This is now romantic culmination. It is fevered and demanding, more bite and force than Cullen has had before. His hands come up to dig into the back of Sebastian’s shirt, trying his best to kiss back but this kiss is not teasing or sweet. There is no need for reciprocation. All Sebastian wants is for Cullen to give in and take it. 

He draws back and Cullen finds himself following for a moment, dazed and lost as Sebastian pins him to the door one hand. The lost contact of the King's body against his makes him feel cold. 

"There are rules this evening, Cullen." Kiss bruised words and lilting, Northern accent curl around each word. It takes a moment for speech to register in Cullen's mind but he nods. "You may not use my name. For this night, and every moment after- as it has been- I am King Sebastian of Starkhaven and Kirkwall. You will call my your majesty, your highness or your king." Sebastian leaned in, hand still pressing Cullen back to the door as his breath puffed into Cullen's mouth. Each word was felt across his lips, hissed between them as Cullen fought for any form of control. "You are mine Cullen. You will obey me this night or I will punish you. If you please me, you will be greatly rewarded. Displease me, and... well. Let's just say how much you enjoy this evening depends on you." Sebastian's eyes narrow as Cullen's heart hammers in his chest. "Tell me you accept."

Cullen fights to catch his breath, jagged scar through his lip twisting as adrenaline and lust make him reckless. "I'm here aren't I?"

The hand on his chest snarls in his short curls, pulling the blonde hair like a handle as Cullen cries out. "Your insolence definitely does not please me." Sebastian snarls. "The next time you disobey me to back chat to me, I will slap you." The promise is fierce and Cullen doesn't doubt it's sincerity. "Remove your clothes."

After the previous night, this is familiar. As familiar as disrobing before a King is ever likely to be. Sebastian does not look at him as he moves to the same chair he sat in yesterday, pouring himself a glass of wine and there is no second glass for Cullen. 

Cullen would have thought that Sebastian not looking made it easier but it doesn't. He is here at the King's whim but he is here because Sebastian wants him, has wanted him since Kirkwall and will stop at nothing to have him. Being ignored after all that want and desire, it stings. It makes him angry and bold. That might be the wine. He drops his clothes where they land, glaring over at Sebastian who's gaze flicks over him unmoved. "Something the matter?" There is nothing even remotely akin to concern in his voice. Boredom, is what Cullen would call it and it puts his teeth on edge.

"You are treating me like..." Cullen's anger is tempered by the man he stands before, knowing that Sebastian has all the power and knowing that he can and will use it. It does not abate it however. "Your price was me. For a night. I presumed that mean that you... wanted me. But you act like you don't in the same breath you tell me to strip." He is not fully bared yet, halting at his smalls to retain some sort of security. 

"I did. And yet you are still clothed." Sebastian frowns and stands, Cullen fighting the need to shift as he feels every inch of exposed skin. "You mistake my control and my dominance over you as disinterest. I suspect you have known how long I desired you, and yet you doubt me? No... you want my attention." Sebastian purrs the smug realisation into the air between them. "You want me to hold you and kiss you and beg for your attention, how you've felt no doubt since my letter first hit your desk. That I would stop at nothing to have you." The space between them shortens and Cullen can't slow his breathing. "All that calm, simple and dedicated soldier act. Under it all what you want is my attention." Cullen is caught unawares when Sebastian's hand strikes across his face, palm open and not the backhand he could have used if he really wanted Cullen to hurt. The sting is enough to make Cullen's head spin to the side, disorientating enough that when Sebastian snags his hair in one hand and kicks out his knee with the other he goes to his knees easily. "You have to earn it, Cullen." Sebastian hisses. "And now your bratty tongue has made that work even harder." Cullen stares up at Sebastian from his knelt position, shocked and alarmed and before he can really register it- aroused. "Put that tongue to a better use."

The wording, their agreement, Cullen's position- there isn't anything else Sebastian could mean. Still, Cullen stammers out, "Y-you... you mean..." 

Sebastian uses the grip on Cullen's hair to shake him hard, teeth bared in disapproval. "Get on with it!" 

Cullen gulps hard, hands shaking as he hurries to get Sebastian's belt open. His fingers are clumsy with haste and he can hear Sebastian tutting at him. Shame burns Cullen's cheeks and the moment the laces of the King's trousers are loosened he does not allow himself the time to think. If he thinks he'll mess up again and he can't.

Sebastian's cock is uninterested and flaccid in his hand, the short time Cullen sees it before his mouth moves over it frantically enough to know Sebastian is not lacking even when not hard. Cullen's cheeks burn with the knowledge that while Sebastian is nonplussed, Cullen himself is as hard as he was last night. 

Cullen is unpracticed in this, even if this is not his first time being on his knees for another man. He knows he is sloppy and inelegant but Sebastian’s hand guides him wear he wants him, tugging his hair to move his mouth and rocking slowly into the gentle touch of Cullen's hand. Sloppy wet kisses turn into gently sucking the head of Sebastian's cock into his mouth as the man begins to harden. Sebastian does not hesitate to use his grip on Cullen's hair again, hips pushing and hand holding as he forces Cullen to take him fully into his mouth. The excitement is building now and Sebastian gets hard fast, Cullen's mouth struggling to take him even with the hand blocking Sebastian from thrusting too deep. 

Cullen wants to scrunch up his eyes and pretend he is anywhere but here, block out all of it, but he can't. The taste of Sebastian's cock on his tongue is heady and unmistakable, the pull of Sebastian's fingers in his hair tugging him and holding as his cock thrusts into Cullen's mouth. What technique Cullen had been attempting to employ is ignored now in favour of breathing as Sebastian’s thrusts get deeper. His fingers cling to Sebastian's thighs, whining frantically in alarm as he stares up in rapture. He is utterly at Sebastian's whim, saliva slicking down his chin and throat now, lips stretched wide around the King's cock.

Sebastian pulls out with a snarl and Cullen's gasping, mouth red and wide, as the King's cock rests on his face, over the cheek Sebastian had struck before. It's slick and heavy and Sebastian's hips buck to slide it across his cheek. "I often wondered what your mouth would feel like." Sebastian's breath is short but nothing like the wrecked gasps Cullen is making, still held in Sebastian’s tight grasp. "Now disrobe." Another buck of his hips and Cullen's gasping mouth feels the slide of Sebastian's cock over his face, slick trails of spit and precome marking his skin. "And get on the bed." Sebastian bites out. "Answer me."

He tosses Cullen's head as he lets go, Cullen falling to his hands as Sebastian moves towards the room divider and the bed beyond. Cullen's fingers dig into the floor as he gasps for breath, "Y-yes, y-your m-ma... m-majesty." It comes out as a groan and a plea all at once, hands trembling to get out of his smalls and follow Sebastian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr: akaiba.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cullen gets more than he would ever know what to do with.

The instructions are easy enough to follow; “Lie on the bed.”, “Give me your hands.”, “Hold still while I tie your wrists.”...

What was still so terrifyingly new was the flare of heat that went up his spine every time he obeyed, stranger still how Sebastian’s approval of his obedience made it worse. Cullen has been taking orders his entire life but he fails to understand how this is different- how Sebastian’s power over him in an intimate capacity makes him weak-kneed and breathless. 

Now, laid out on Sebastian’s obscenely large bed with his hands bound over his head to the headboard, he wonders just what is to come. He tests the knots but Sebastian is a rogue- archer or not, he knows how to keep a man bound. Cullen shivers at that thought and watches as Sebastian approaches the bed. Whatever he had fetched is placed on the side table but Cullen is more focused on the way Sebastian settles onto his chest. Cullen is very aware of the cock only inches from his lips, more so when the King presses Cullen’s mouth open to slide the head of his cock inside. Cullen shifts restlessly under Sebastian. He’s been so silent aside from his orders and it wrankles Cullen in the oddest ways. He wants Sebastian to say something, anything. Moan or praise him, guide him and reward him. Isn’t that what Cullen is here for? To please Sebastian? If he isn’t doing a good job, then…

Sebastian is watching Cullen with a detached interest as Cullen suckles at the head of his cock. His jaw still aches from the rough treatment before but Sebastian is still and pushes no deeper than he is now. He seems content to let Cullen lick and suck at the head of his cock and simply watch. Cullen’s tongue presses into the slit of his cock and Sebastian reacts. Just a hiss of pleasure but Cullen can’t hide how he moans around Sebastian’s cock. It is fast becoming a familiar weight in his mouth, the taste of his precome an equally familiar musky flavour on his tongue.

The king yanks Cullen’s head back, his cock slipping free and Cullen grunting at the hard pull of his hair. “You’re very eager to please…” Sebastian muses. “Is someone starting to enjoy their role?”

Cullen hisses again at another yank. “I-I’m not s-sure what my role is... your m-majesty.”

“Oh yes you are.” Sebastian stands. “Turn over.” 

It’s a laboured process with Cullen’s hands bound but he manages to roll over onto his belly, lifting his knees under him and his arse raised for Sebastian’s approval at the impatient tap to his thigh. His face won’t stop burning with embarrassment but he can’t take his eyes from over his shoulder, craning to see Sebastian as the king moves to kneel behind him. "Come now, Commander, you are a clever man. No man could have emerged from Kirkwall’s destruction as triumphant as you did if you weren't clever." Two hands push between Cullen's legs and guide his knees further apart. He feels too bared, too vulnerable, and it makes him afraid. It also makes his cock jerk with want and he still does not understand that at all. "Name it, Commander. What lying in my bed in exchange for monetary or proprietal gain makes you." Cullen presses his face into his shoulder and denies it to himself even as the truth of it burns shameful across his face. 

He has to do this, the Inquisition needs Sebastian's forces to bolster their own. They're stretched too thin, they will fall to Corypheus a second time if Cullen doesn't... doesn't... he bites down on his lip and tells himself it doesn't matter. The deed is done in all but name now; he is Sebastian’s to toy with for the night.

"Your silence and lack of protesting tells me you know the answer, you simply refuse to voice it." Sebastian sighs. "You have tried my patience too often." Cullen is unprepared for the slap of Sebastian's hand on his rear, head jerking up as he grunts. "I hadn't wanted to treat you with too firm a hand, I know the breed of templar you are. You were never one to visit the Rose, Commander. Too righteous and dedicated to find solace in paid arms." Sebastian strikes Cullen again and it hurts. Warrior the king is not but he fires a longbow with purpose. There's strength enough in Sebastian's frame to make Cullen gasp, and yet still Cullen knows the man is holding back- for now. "There was a time I was like that." Sebastian muses. He seems to throw aside darker memories before adding. "But I would pay a hefty sum for this..."

Cullen wants to point out that Sebastian has already paid a grand sum, words sticking in his throat as Sebastian's hand lands twice in succession and Cullen cannot stifle the cry. Sebastian is not holding back now. Cullen wonders is if maybe, with his recent conquering of Kirkwall and Starkhaven’s own vast wealth, the price Sebastian had offered didn't even dent his wealth and resources. Had he sold himself for no more than two coppers in the King’s eyes?

His thoughts get tangled and lost with each strike Sebastian hits him with. The resounding crack of his own flesh being struck echoes in the grand room, Cullen desperately wondering why this pain borders pleasure at points and leaves him breathlessly writhing- his elbows taking his weight as Sebastian keeps him pinned with his free hand pressing into Cullen's back. 

The king is silent now and the hits come faster, Cullen unable to keep his lips bitten shut as he cries out and bucks with each hit. He is no stranger to pain but this... it is unlike anything Cullen has felt before. His breathy gasps and moans fill the room and he pleas for Sebastian’s mercy in the way he cries out, "Your majesty!" But he gets no answer and no relief.

'What are you?" Sebastian says, voice so soft and hissed between teeth- not the harsh demand Cullen had expected.

Cullen bites down on his lower lip again only for Sebastian's hand to land lower- between his cheeks and over the sensitive stretch of skin down to his balls. "Whore! I'm a whore!" Cullen screams out. He isn't sobbing, not quite that broken yet, but he's trembling with how the pleasure and pain his misfired so wholly in his mind. 

Two hands grasp his arse, burning skin sensitive enough to make Cullen whine as Sebastian pushes him wide. The shame is too much and Cullen does sob then. "Yes. You are. But you are my whore."

That does not make it better in Cullen's mind but he has no voice left to offer argument. He has no voice but for the sounds he can't keep down, shaking and aching for release as Sebastian presses his fingertips into the flesh he is holding. Cullen whines out a protest but it gets twisted into a shrill cry as Sebastian’s tongue presses flat over his hole. "W-w-what are y-you- ahh!" Cullen shudders, tensed with pleasure as he grips the rope binding him to the headboard. 

"I often wondered how you might react if I got you into my bed. All the ways I might take you apart..." One hand trails down between his cheeks and cups his balls teasingly. "I would have them all." Cullen cries out as Sebastian's tongue presses at him, lapping at his skin and teasing him where Cullen has never paid much attention. The more Sebastian works his mouth over him, the looser Cullen feels and the first slide of Sebastian's tongue into him just a little has him wild. The King of Starkhaven's tongue is in his arse and, Maker take him, Cullen loves it. He's rocking his hops back for more and Sebastian holds him fast. The rough grip of fingers over his sensitive, red-beaten skin makes the pleasure sharp and jagged. It does not pool in his belly so sweetly and slow as Cullen had liked before, like this it is so new but cuts through him like a blade. He tenses and he rocks, his mind foggy with lust. Cullen feels Sebastian's hand, still cupping his balls, move to circle his cock entirely. A tight ring of pressure at the base of him that staves off the release Cullen hadn't known was coming. His back arches and he cries out desperately, writhing to get free of that cruel hand but Sebastian does not relent in either the hot wet slide of his tongue or the grip he has.

The release is snatched from him and he can feel the coil of pleasure unwinding in his gut; the sense that he almost had come, the confusion that he had been held at that point for a moment enough that he could have. His body trembles and Cullen sags into the bed gasping for breath. Sebastian draws back and Cullen does not resist as the King moves him on to his back again. He glares at the King when they are face to face before remembering himself and turning his gaze to glare at the ceiling. 

Sebastian chuckles, "Now, now, Cullen. You would have ended our game much too early." Cullen has no reply to that as Sebastian pushes his legs apart and settles there between them as though he had every right to be there. Cullen supposes he does, there's a contract proving that he does. Cullen cannot however explain the way his legs curl around Sebastian's waist. The king notices and smirks down at him, for once not lauding the slip over him, instead soothing his palms down Cullen's flank and skirting the reddened skin. The sheets are silky soft and cool against Cullen's skin, prickling his flesh with too much and Cullen cannot ignore how wet and eager his cock is. It drips onto his belly and even untouched Cullen had been so ready to come. The king reaches over to the bedside table and dips his fingers into the shallow dish of oil he had rested there before, drawing them back dripping. Sebastian maintains Cullen's gaze as he slowly moves his hand between Cullen's spread legs and Cullen is frozen by the rapturous heat he sees in Sebastian's gaze. Cullen knows what is coming, his breath tight in his chest as heat cuts through him. One finger circles his already wet hole and he barely shudders before Sebastian pushes his finger in all the way.

If Cullen had thought the simple idea of doing this with the King of Starkhaven was difficult to comprehend, it is nothing to the reality. He does not think he can still the rabbit thumping of his heart, his breath choked out on helpless gasps as he twists in his bindings and tries not to panic. 

"You should relax, Commander. It will make things easier and you'll enjoy it more." Sebastian remarks off-hand, detached in his aloof way as he flexes his finger and begins to draw it out only to push it in again. Cullen can't say the intrusion is all that pleasant, not when he knows he must take worse than that before the sun rises and he cannot relax as Sebastian advises when the man doesn't pause. He lazily thrusts the finger back and forth, slick and wet and making soft lewd noises as the king half-interestedly watches Cullen take it. 

If Cullen had never known Sebastian before the heavy weight of a crown, he might have believed that mask of indifference. But he has seen enough cracks and glimpses of the vowed Chantry brother he had met so long ago- worn down and put away beneath too much- and he can see just how much Sebastian has wanted this. There is a tick in his jaw, a clench of muscle Cullen takes to be his teeth grinding, when Cullen cannot hold back a moan. A flash in his eye that comes and goes when Cullen writhes. Sebastian truly does covet this and Cullen burns with it. He finds himself relaxing unbidden, a second finger pushing him wider and while it surprises him it is easier to relax this time.   
He almost wishes it wasn't. If this hurt or if he could simply drift away in his mind then Cullen thinks he might be able to handle it better but this... this is too much and he can't do a thing about it. He pulls at his bonds and he shifts his legs around Sebastian's waist but all it gets him is a mocking, amused smirk. His back arches up as sudden heat lances up his spine and he cries out. Liquid and hot, like glass in his veins, as Sebastian uses his free hand to bracelet his cock and the two fingers in him push hard and fast at that spot. Cullens spine arches further, curling him taut and stretched as his tied hands impede the movement. His mouth is dropped wide and all that escapes him is an unending keen of frantic pleasure, building in fervour as his hips jerk and he wails for release. It's so close, not gone as far as he had thought when it was snatched from him before, if Sebastian loosened his grip even a fraction then Cullen would come. True to form the King's grip does not give even a fraction, no matter how Cullen bucks and twists. 

Sebastian's fingers still and Cullen can catch his breath, the shamefully loud noises he had been making replaced now with, "Please! Please, Maker, please! Your highness!" 

"Say it." Sebastian hisses, leaning over him and pushing a third finger in as Cullen whines again, legs pushed wide. The three fingers spread and Cullen is pulled taut at how that feels- open, slick, empty... his mind rings with the need to come, lust and release turned sharp under his skin and he is no longer in control.

All traces of Cullen's shame are gone but for the lingering flush that won't fade, instead he is the wanton creature Sebastian has taken him apart to. "F-f-..." He is lost to this man, this King, who wants him enough to trade armies for one night. Cullen wonders what he might trade for a second night. "Fuck me!" He blurts, chest heaving as the dam breaks and he cannot stop the tide. "Fuck me! Maker, fuck me! Y-your highness, please!"

There is no mask as Sebastian stares at him now; the object of his lusting splayed under him, begging to be taken. It frays at Sebastian's control and he pulls his fingers free, snarling as Cullen whines. 

"I had wanted to be so meticulous with you..." Sebastian's hands brace over Cullen and Cullen cranes up to kiss him, pained at the lack of contact when Sebastian turns his head and keeps them apart. "I wanted to make you beg me for hours for this... but I underestimated what the sight of you like this would do to me." Sebastian's hand reaches blind for the side table, fingers crashing into the bowl and slicking his hand before the bowl tips over and spills over the edge of the ornate wood. 

Neither man pays it any mind, Cullen gulping breath to still his gasping but utterly focused on the slick hand that wraps around Sebastian's cock. Sebastian groans at his own touch with Cullen echoing it as he rocks against Sebastian's shifting hand and the King curses under his breath. Sebastian's mouth presses to his and Cullen gets lost at the feel of how Sebastian kisses him- like he could kiss him forever and no inch of sweetness in each biting kiss. 

Sebastian swallows the keening cry Cullen makes at the first press of his cock. Cullen's body is tight and resistant still, Sebastian slow but unrelenting as he pushes in to the hilt and Cullen's legs kick and dig his heels into the King's back. Cullen's teeth are digging hard to his lower lip and he cranes his neck up to see where their bodies are joined before flopping back and trying to force himself relax. He cannot handle the lust and want that sight gave him, his body stretched wide around Sebastian's cock. The oil makes the slide easy but his body is tense and too braced for it to be too comfortable. There is no mercy in this either and Cullen bends to take what Sebastian gives.

A hand slides up to cup under his neck, drawing him into another kiss and distracting him from the burning ache of being pushed so wide. The kiss does not stop as Sebastian rocks his hips in slow, grinding movements. Cullen gasps into Sebastian's mouth with each one, soft sounds of approval building until Sebastian's cock is sliding into him hard and deep, Cullen moaning encouragingly. Sebastian leans up on his arms, angle a little deeper and pace a little rougher, and his thrusts hit that spot from before. Cullen's head arches back Sebastian hooks his arms under Cullen's legs to hold him open. The rough slap of skin undercurrents Cullen's cries and Sebastian's groans, the motion hitting Cullen's bruised skin and it adds an edge to his pleasure that drives him frantic. His cock jerks and drips wet onto his belly, he is unable to touch himself but Cullen does not think he will need that- not with how Sebastian is pounding into him now. The burn is overtaken by pleasure, now thrumming through him in waves that pull at him and spread through every inch to even his white-knuckled hands. His toes curl and he cannot even account for the sounds he is making. Sebastian's fingers dig in roughly to the skin of his thighs, flexing as Cullen's muscles tremble and suddenly that pressure of Sebastian's fingers is circling his cock again. 

"No!" Cullen cries out, thrashing and wild with panic. "Please, please, please!" He cannot take this again, cannot handle relief being torn from him a third time. Fourth if Cullen cared to count yesterday and he would later, but not now. Now he just needs. "Let me come, please, Maker, let me come!"

Sebastian curls his weight over Cullen, holds him tight and fucks into him with abandon. It makes Cullen's head spine as it builds and builds but has nowhere to go, halted by Sebastian's hand as the King just uses Cullen and comes with a loud, satisfied groan. Wet heat spills into Cullen and he would like to blame it all on his deprived release as he sobs weakly and falls limp on the bed. Another sob bubbles up and Cullen turns his head into his arm to steady himself. He had thought himself well versed in all tortures, but this... this was cruelty he had not known before. 

Sebastian's cock rocks into him a little more as the King chases the last drop of his pleasure before pulling free and Cullen hates the way he whimpers at the loss. A warm hand tips his chin and Cullen reluctantly but obediently meets the King's gaze. "I couldn't let you come. Not when I wanted to see every inch of it." As apologies go, it is perhaps the worst one Cullen has ever heard but the hunger eases it. Cullen won't understand Sebastian's apparent need to devour him whole- even back in Kirkwall the young Prince's fascination had been a mystery to him. What does not need explanation, however, is the way Sebastian slowly moves between his legs. His cock is ignored again and once more Cullen feels the King's tongue at his hole. This time, however, Cullen is far more open and he is dripping with Sebastian's cum. 

He can feel it slip out of him as Sebastian's tongue pushes at him, lapping each drop of his own seed up as Cullen shakily breathes through the gentle attention. The sight of it, though, the King of Starkhaven licking up his own cum from Cullen's body, does not aid Cullen's attempts to resist reacting. "Please... no more..." He begs. "I c-can't... c-can't take it..." Cullen can feel the hum of his body building again, faster now with his denied releases, and Cullen isn't sure he can stand it again. To be denied or even to come now, he does not think he can handle either. 

"I want you to come now." Sebastian offers, voice gentle and husky as he returns his attentions. Two fingers push into Cullen, easy to now with how open Cullen is, and his tongue slips between them as they thrust in and out. Cullen shakes his head and keens, protests being lost as Sebastian's questing fingers find that damnable spot that drives Cullen wild. 

So soon- too soon- after being denied, Cullen cannot handle it as pleasure burns liquid hot and scalding in his veins. "I c-can't..." He insists again.

If anything, that spurs Sebastian on harder. He fucks his tongue between his fingers, lapping at the sticky mess of his come and Cullen jerkily fucks down onto him, tossing his head and certain he's going to die like this. He isn't exactly inexperienced but never has sex been this... consuming. He is utterly consumed. Whatever he was before this, he is unsure he will be able to be again, he barely knows himself to claim responsibility for how he cries out and moans for more. Every touch and press of lips and skin brands onto his skin and he craves it, knows he can never wash it clean from himself. 

"Let m-me... please, this time... p-please..." Cullen sobs desperately, his body taut and shaking hard.

"Come for me, Cullen. Let me see you come." It is not permission, it is a demand. An order from a King that Cullen is powerless to obey as his back snaps up and he pulls hard on his ties. Sebastian's fingers thrust hard and fast into him, a rising tide of heat finally free to spill over in Cullen as he comes. Tears streak down his face, release so harsh it blinds him and he screams out-unsure if he wants more or begging for it to stop. 

When his vision clears he is boneless, splattered with his own come from belly to neck as Sebastian lazily traces his fingers through the mess. His hands have been unbound and he flushes hard when he realises he passed out. His wrists ache from the tight binding, hissing as he goes to rub them and Sebastian catches his hands and pulls them away. 

Cullen watches him, unsteady and so very cut free from reality, terrified he might float away if he isn't tethered down, he curls into Sebastian's side and clings. 

If that had been the end of the night, Cullen thinks he still might have been able to put it all to bed and not think on it too much. Sebastian even offered him to leave then. 

Cullen didn't. 

The sun rose and lit upon the sight of Cullen riding the King's cock, sucking on the King's fingers and ignorant of even why the sun rising was important.

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr: akaiba.tumblr.com


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